OHCRAWFO-L Archives

Archiver > OHCRAWFO > 2000-09 > 0969349306


From: "Kathleen Woodside Freiburg" <>
Subject: Re: [OHCRAWFO] The Crawford Co./PA connection
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2000 00:41:46 -0700


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tom Robison" <>

> It seems that many early settlers in Crawford Co. came from central PA.
> Does anyone know why?
- ----------------------------

Much of the State of Ohio was once military districts; the largest being the
U.S. Military District, Ohio. Parts were held by States, also, such as the
Virginia Military District, Ohio. These public lands were used to entice
men into military service during the Revolution or pay its soldiers in
voucher afterwards; monies were scarce to non-existent. These districts
became known as the Bounty Lands; the vouchers, Bounty Land Warrants. The
U.S. Government had 5 such districts throughout the country at different
periods and the practice of paying solders in warrants, begun out of
necessity in Revolutionary times, continued on a more limited scale for the
War of 1812 and the Mexican War. Some were even issued as late as the Civil
War. Records of Bounty Land Warrants, including Virginia's, are held by the
NARA and can be obtained using Form 80 also used for requesting military and
pension records prior to WWI.

As to why so many in Crawford County Ohio came from Central Pennsylvania
(including some of mine), sections in these districts were earmarked to pay
particular groups of soldiers typically in the same units and/or recruited
in the same general area. Many sold their warrants for cash, but others
uprooted their families and headed west to Ohio to select and claim their
land. Still others passed the warrants to their sons or grandsons because
compensation for their service came so late, they were too old or
well-established to relocate. The State of Pennsylvania compensated her
soldiers similarly with lands in Erie County. Here my family is a prime
example of the soldier (father) being too old (past 50), passing his
vouchers to two of his older, unestablished sons who then took up the land.

All in all it wasn't a bad system for either side. It cost the government
nothing yet compensated her soldiers and, at the same time, opened lands in
Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, etc westward to settlement. This is a broad
overall explanation. I hopes it helps to understand why groups of families
seemed to emigrate from one area to another, seemingly together.

Kathy W-F.

This thread: